Trolley device



Feb. 9, 1932. s. s. MATTHES TROLLEY DEVICE Filed Sept. 10. 1950 JAJIl/[L a M77175.)

I! [Am Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES 1,844Att5i PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL S. MATTERS, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COIVEPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, lA CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY TROLLEY DEVICE Application filed September 10, 1930. Serial No. 480,882.

My invention relates to trolley wire fixtures of the class known as crossings or frogs.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of the crossing or frog type in which the runner or guide for the current collector across the device will be continuous and will be automatically set to the right position through pressure exerted by the current collector upon mechanism associated with the device.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the various parts hereinafter described and shown in the accoi'n 'nmying drawings.

In the drawings 1- Fig. 1 is a top view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of my invention.

Fig. 3 .is a side view of my invention.

Fig. l. is a view in partial section of a portion of my device which yieldingly maintains the movable bridging member in a predetermined position.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the contact device engaged by the current collector.

it is usual with devices of the crossing and switch or irog type to so construct the lower face of the device by means of which the cur rent collector is guided across the device that the guiding means is not complete or continuous and under some conditions and especially at high speeds the current collector is liable to take the wrong branch or be thrown from the device.

l'his is especially true in connection with tracliless trolley operation in which it is usual to have the current collector pivot at the end of the pole about a vertical axis and with such a device it very desirable to have the guideway across the crossing or frog continuous.

jln my improved device I arrange a bridglug member to pivot or swing into position to form a continuous ideaway across the device and the movement of the bridging member is prmluced through contact of the cur rent collector with certain mechanism associated with the device.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I employ a body member 1 having down wardly projecting flanges 2 along opposite side edges and projecting arms 3. The arms are provided with grooves 4; open along their top edge to receive a trolley wire which is clamped and held in position by means of the cam clamp 5 shown in clamping position at the right-hand end of Fig. 3 and in a position to be operated to clamping position at the left-hand end of Fig. 3. The clamping menihcr 5 is pivotally mounted between the spaced hook-shaped lugs 6 at the end of each arm 3 and these clamping members are removable from the lugs 6 through the opening 7.

In the drawings I have shown my invention as a crossing but it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that my invention. could also apply to a crossing or frog as shown in my Patent 1,682,136 dated August 28, 1928..

The device is also provided with eye-lugs 8 to which supporting and retaining cables may be secured. Mounted upon the upper surface of the device are spaced lugs 9 between which are pivotally mounted contact members A, B, G and 1) extending along the outer face of the arms 3. By placing the contact members along the outside face of the arms it is possible to bring the adjacent arms 3 closer together and thus apply my invention to small angles between the trolley wires which could not be done if the contact members were between the arms.

The contact lugs comprise a web portion 10 and a tongue portion 11 which fits between the upright lugs 9 and is secured thereto by means of the bolts or rivets l2 whiclr pass through openings in the lugs 9 and the opening 13 in the tongue 11. The tongue 11 has a contact surface 14 so shaped and positioned that it will engage the. body 1 and thus limit movement oi? the tongue in one V sition.

direction when operated by the current collector. The contact member has an upright lug 15 with an opening 16 to receive the operating rod 17. The web portion 10 of the contact member is provided with a transversely disposed portion 18, the lower surface of which is engaged by the current collector.

Interposed between the inner ends of the arms 3 is a bridging member 19 pivotally mounted at its center to mechanically connect the inner ends of any two oppositely extending arms 3. The bridge member 19 is held in position by means of the pin 20 fixedly secured theretoto rotate together the pin 20 projects above the upper surface of the member 1. Fixedly secured to the member 20 is an arm 21 which rotates with the pin 20 and is removable and adjustable thereon by means of the bolt and nut 22.

In order to maintain the bridge 9 in any given position to which it may be setI conneet to the end of the arm 21 and the body 1, a yieldable link 23 shown indetail in Fig. 4. This yieldable link comprises a chambered member 24 and telescopic member 25 provided with chamber 26. Aspring 27 is positioned within the members tending to extend their combined length. The member 24 is provided with a slot 28 to receive the end of the arm 21 and also provided with registering openings 29 through which extends a pin 30 to pivotally secure members 21 and 24 together. The member 25 is pro videdrwith an opening 31 through which passes a pin 32 which pivotally secures the member 25 to the member 1. The parts are so related that in operation the spring is always tending to extend the parts 24 and 25 thusproducing in combination with the member 21 a yieldable toggle and holding the parts 21 and 23 to either side of a center line passing through the center of the members '20 and 32.

The contact members A, B, C and D are connected by means of the rods 17 with a cross arm 33 which may be an integral part of thearm 21 so that it pivots in unison with the arm 21.

It will be apparent that when the bridge 19 pivots that the arm 33 also pivots in unison therewith and the toggle mechanism is also mo-Ved. so that the axis of the pin 30 moves from one side of the line connecting the axes of the members 20and 32 to the other side. Simultaneous with the movement of the member 32 is a movement in the rods 17 and in the contact'members A, B, C and D.

Referring to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the contactmember B is raised as compared with the member C which is in its lowest po- A current collector passing across the device from right to left will engage the contact member C but'if passing from left and to right it would not engage the member B. it will also be apparent that when the member C is down the member A will be up and the member D will be down such that it will be engaged by a current collector when passing across the device from left to right.

Assuming the contact members C and B set as shown in Fig. 3 and a current collector passing from right to left along the arm 0 would engage the contact member 0 and raise thesame which would transmit motion to the rod 17 which in turn would rotate the arm 19 and the pin 20 and would pivot the bridge member 19 into alignment with the arms 0 and Z thus making continuous the guiding of the collector across the device. Simultaneously with the operation of the device through raising the member C the other contact memiers would have their positions changed that is, for instance, the member Bv would be moved to its lower position ready to be engaged by the shoe in passing from left to right through the arms I) and a.

It will be noted that the contact member D will be raised simultaneously with the raising of the contact C and the positioning of the bridge 19would connect the arms 0 and dthus if the next passage of thecurrent collector should be across the pan from arm (Z to arm 0 the collector would not engage the contact D because it would have been already raised and also the bridge member 19 would be positioned between the arms at and 0 due to the previous setting. -However, a collector attempting to cross the device fromeither side by means ofthe arms a or b, the contact member A or B respectively would be engaged and raised andthe bridge member 19 would be moved into alignment with the, arms a and 7).

It willbeapparentthat if the device is used in a system in which the cars passin one direction only, as for instance from right to left, then it would be necessary to have only the contact members A and C and the rods 17 connected thereto thus eliminating the contact members B and D and their rodsll'.

It will be noted that the inner ends ofthe arms 3 are beveled as at 34 and that-the ends of the bridge 19 are also beveled as at 35. This it will be noted-provides practically an unbroken passage for the current collector across the device.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this same arrangement may be applied to a frog or switch as shown in my Patent 1,682,136 which hasa main and a single branch wire in place of two main crossing wires and that the only change from the construction described in connection with the crossing would be topivot the member 19 at one end and adjacent to the single arm projected from the one end.

Modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, having read my disa member secured to the closure of my invention, therefore, I wish to be limited only by my claims.

l. A trolley device comprising a body menr her and a plurality of spaced arms projecting from opposite ends thereof and each arranged to receive a trolley wire, a movable bridging member secured to the body and arranged to bridge the space between the inner ends of any two oppositely disposed arms to con'iplete a guide-way for a current collector, mechanism to operate the bridging member comprising a member fixedly connected to the bridging member to move therewith, a separate movable contact member adjacent each arm and in the path of the current collector to be engaged and moved by the current collector, means secured to each contact member and to the member fixedly secured to the bridging member to produce simultaneous movement to move the bridging member into alignment with the said arms and yielding means to hold the bridging member in the position to which it was last moved.

A trolley device comprising a body member with spaced projecting arms, each to receive a trolley wire, a pivotally mounted bridging member to close the gap between two of the arms at a time, a separate pivotally mounted contact member for each arm mounted in the path of a current collector and arranged to be moved by the upward pressure of the collector, a pivot pin secured to the bridging member, a pivoting member secured to the pin and movable therewith and a n1emher secured to the pivoting member and to each contact member to move the bridging member to a predetermined position when the contact member is moved by the collector.

3. A trolley device comprising a body mcu'iber with spaced projecting arms, each to receive a trolley wire, a pivotally mounted ln-idging member to close the gap between two of the arms at a time, a pivotally mounted contact member mounted in the path of a current collector and arranged to be moved in a vertical plane by the upward pressure oi the collector, a pivot pin secured to the lll.'ltl, ,l.l1g member, a pivoting member secured to the pin and movable therewith and pivoting member and to the contact member to move the bridging member to a predetermined position when the contact member is moved upwardly about its pivot by the collector and a spring mechanism connected to the pivoting member and the body member to yieldingz'ly hold the bridging member to its last set position.

l. A trolley device con'iprising a body member with spaced guide ribs to guide a current collector onto and off of the body n'lcmber, a bridging member mounted on the body to pivot about an axis transverse to the body member and to close the gap between t spaced ends of two guide ribs, a pivot the mechanism fixed to the bridging member and having its axis coinciding with the first said axis, a contact member positioned along the outer face of one of the ribs in the path of the current collector and pivoted to move in a vertical plane when engaged by the current collector and a connecting member between the contacting member and the pivot mechanism to move in a loiw'itudinal direction substantially at right angles to the first said axis to transmit the motion of the contact member to the pivot mechanism to move the bridging member for the purpose described.

5. A trolley device comprising in combination an elongated body, two elongated spaced guides secured thereto adjacent each end of the body, means on each guide to secure a trolley wire thereto, a bridging member to connect either of said guides at one end with a guide at the other end, pivotal means to pivotally secure the bridging member to the body and move with said member, mechanism operated by a passing current collector to move said pivotal means to position said bridging member and yielding mechanism interposed between the last said mechanism and the body to yieldingly hold the bridging member in its last set position and comprising an arm secured at one end to the pivotal means and a spring interposed between the body and free end of the arm to be compressed by the arm.

(3. A trolley device comprising a body and a plurality of spaced guide ribs secured there to, a bridging member secured to the body to pivot about a vertical axis to connect two of said ribs at a time, a contact member in the path of a current collector and pivoted to said body to move in a vertical plane, mechanism interposed between and secured to the contact member and the bridging me1nher to move the bridging member and means to yieldingly hold the contact member in either raised or lowered position.

7. A trolley device comprising a body member having two pair of spaced guides, a bridging member pivotally secured at its center to the body to mechanically connect either pair of guides, each guide having associated therewith a separate contact member and arranged to be moved by a passing current collector, mechanism connecting each contact member with the bridging member to move members simultaneously, the device operating to position the bridging member to con nect the pair of guides across which the current collector is passing when the collector engages the first contact member and to move the opposite contact member out of the path of the moving collector and to move the other contact members into position to be engaged by the collector when passing across the other pair of guides.

8. A trolley cross-over, comprising a body member having two pair of spaced guides and a vbridging member pivotally secured thereto adjacent its center to connect the opposite guides of a. pair to form a continuous path for a current collector, an independent contact member pivotally mounted adjacent each guide to be raised by the passing current collector, mechanism connecting the contact members such that the contact members of one pair of guides will be lowered when the members of the other pair of guides are raised, means connecting the mechanism and the bridging member, the bridging member being operated to close the gap between the guides over which the current collector is passing when the contact member first engaged by the current collector is raised.

' 9. A trolley device comprising a body member having spaced arms to guide a cur rent collector, a pivotally mounted bridging member to close the gap between two of the arms at a time, mechanism associated with the bridging member to operate the bridging member in a horizontal plane comprising a contact member pivotally movable in a vertical plane and engaged by a-cur rent collectorprior to crossing the device to set the bridging member in alignment with the path of the moving collector, a second pivotally mounted contactor movable in avertical plane and prior to crossing the device from the opposite direction and by a different path to move the bridging member from the previous path to the last said path and means connecting the said contact members to thebridging'member.

10. A trolley device comprising a body havin a pair of guides projecting from'one end to guide a current collector thereonto from dilierent trolley wires and a guide projecting from the other end ofthe bodyto conduct the collector from the body, a bridging member pivoted to the body and to guide the collector between the entering and leaving guides and mechanism to operate the bridging memher'to' its guiding position comprising a separate pivotally mounted contact member associated with each of the guides of said pair and positioned to be engaged and raised by the upward pressure of thecollector and means connecting the bridging and each contact member to transmit the movement of the contact member engaged by the collector .to the bridging member toposition the same and transmit the said motion to the other engaged later .by the current collector to collector, a longitudinally movable member connected between and'to the bridging'and contact members, the contact and bridging members pivoting in planes atright "angles 'e h other, wh re y" the C ta t m mb r i moved out of the pathofthe collector and the bridging: member is moved into alignment 'withthe path of the moving collector and means on 'the contact member to engage means connected to the body member to limit the upward movement of the contact member. In testimony whereof. I affizmysignature.

SAMUEL "s MAT Esi engageable by the collector contact members and to lower the same to .be 

